2016 harvest carries over into January for Saskatchewan farmer

For Lee Petersen, the fall harvest has carried into January.

The Saskatchewan farmersaid he had planned to harvest his corn crop in October but there was too much moisture. Later, the crop was too dry to harvest so it was put off again. Now, in mid-January, Petersen is out harvesting, and hopes to finishlater thismonth.

Petersen farmsnear Hodgeville, Sask. located approximately 170 kilometres west of Regina where theamount of snow has been small enough that he can get a combine out in the field.

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"We gave it a try yesterday and it went really well," he said.

The crop, which Petersen said has shrunk over time, now stands roughly three metres tall. Corn isn't ruined by the cold weather either, he said the only cause for concern would be a blizzard knocking it flat.

"This stuff is really quite tough," he said, though he added theextreme cold has dried out the crop somewhat.

Petersen said he grew approximately 200 acres of corn this season. Half of it was harvested for silage. He started on the second half the remaining crop yesterday, testing moisture levels and performing other tests. He hopes to finish off the harvest in a week or so, he says.

Though harvesting this late into the winter isn't common, especially in a part of the country which doesn't usually grow corn, Petersen said he has received a good yield.

"I'm not going to say I think I couldgrow a crop like this every year, but it's something to see anyway," he said.

While this is the latest he has ever been out in the field, Petersen said he was out harvesting in mid-December a few years back.

"If I don't keep at it, it might be February before I get done. We'll see."